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Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Istanbul 2014 - Blue Mosque

Date of visit: 6th April 2014

Front view

Back Courtyard of the Blue Mosque

Sultan Ahmed I was an
Ottomon Empire ruler for 14 years after he succeeded his father’s throne,
Sultan Mehmed III in 1603. He is remembered mainly for the construction of the
Sultan Ahmed Mosque, 1 of the masterpieces of Islamic architecture. He died at
Topkapı Palace in Constantinople and is buried in a mausoleum right outside the
walls of the famous mosque. The Sultan Ahmed Mosque is a historic mosque in Istanbul popularly known as the Blue Mosque for the blue tiles adorning the
walls of its interior.

The panorama view of the 398 year old mosque

It was built from 1609 to
1616. Its Kulliye contains a tomb of the founder, a madrasah and a hospice. The
Sultan Ahmed decided to build the big mosque after the Peace of Zsitvatorok took place and
the unfavorable result of the war with Persia was resolved. While his
predecessors had paid for their mosques with their spoil of war, Ahmet the
First had to remove the funds of the Treasury, since he had not gained
remarkable victories which caused the anger of the Muslim jurists. He insisted
that the mosque be built on the site of the palace of the Byzantine
emperors, in front of the basilica Hagia Sofya (at that time, became a mosque
the most worshipped in Istanbul) and the racecourse, a site of a big symbolic
meaning. Big parts of the south shore of the mosque rest on the foundations,
the vaults of the old Grand Palace.

90% of the front view showing 5 out of 6 minarets in 1 photo

The Mosque has 1 main dome, 6
minarets and 8 secondary domes. The design is the culmination of 2 centuries of
Ottoman mosque development by its architect, Sedefkar Mehmed Aga, It
incorporates some of Byzantine Christian elements of the neighboring Hagia
Sophia with traditional Islamic architecture and is considered to be the last
great mosque of the classical period. The architect produced the ideas of his
master Sinan, aiming for overwhelming size, majesty and splendour in his design.

Main dome, minarets and semi circle domes visible from the courtyard

The same facade of the
spacious forecourt was built in the same manner as the facade of the
Süleymaniye Mosque, except for the addition of the turrets on the corner domes.
The court is about as large as the mosque itself. It has ablution facilities on
both sides. The central hexagonal fountain is small relative to the courtyard.
The monumental but narrow gateway to the courtyard stands out architecturally
from the arcade. Its historical elementary school is used as "Mosque
Information Center" which is adjacent to its outer wall on the side of
Hagia Sophia. This is where they provide visitors with a free orientational
presentation on the Blue Mosque and Islam in general.

The six minarets were a
matter of contention and a first, since four minarets were the common maximum.
Only after one more minaret was added to the Masjid al-Haram, Grand Mosque, in
Mecca was the six minarets issue settled.

Happiness overloads

The interior of the mosque is
lined with more than 20,000 handmade ceramic tiles, made at Iznik (the ancient
Nicaea) in more than 50 different tulip designs. The tiles at lower levels are
traditional in design, while at gallery level their design becomes flamboyant
with representations of flowers, fruit and cypresses. More than 20,000 tiles
were made under the supervision of the Iznik master potter. The price to be
paid for each tile was fixed by the sultan's decree, while tile prices in
general increased over time. As a result, the quality of the tiles used in the
building decreased gradually. The upper levels of the interior are dominated by
blue paint. On the chandeliers, ostrich eggs are found that were meant to avoid
cobwebs inside the mosque by repelling spiders.

The decorations include calligraphy
verses from the Qur'an, many of them made by Seyyid Kasim Gubari, regarded as
the greatest calligrapher of his time. The floors are covered with carpets, which
are donated and are regularly replaced as they wear out. The many spacious
windows confer a spacious impression. Each semi-dome has 14 windows and the
central dome 28 blinds. The coloured glass for the windows was a gift of the
Signoria of Venice to the sultan. Most of these coloured windows have by now been
replaced by modern versions.

The most important element
in the interior of the mosque is the mihrab, which is made of finely carved and
sculptured marble, with a stalactite niche and a double inscriptive panel above
it. It is surrounded by many windows. To the right of the mihrab is the richly
decorated mimbar, where the imam stands when he is delivering his sermon at the
time of noon prayer on Fridays or on holy days. The mosque has been designed so
that even when it is at its most crowded, everyone in the mosque can see and
hear the imam.

3 sisters

The many lamps inside the
mosque were once covered with gold and gems. Among the glass bowls one could
find ostrich eggs and crystal balls. All these decorations have been removed or
pillaged for museums.

The great tablets on the
walls are inscribed with the names of the caliphs and verses from the Quran.
They were originally by the great 17th-century calligrapher Seyyid Kasim Gubari
of Diyarbakır but have been repeatedly restored.

Pope Benedict XVI visited
the Sultan Ahmed Mosque on 30 November 2006 during his visit to Turkey. It
marks as only the second papal visit in history to a Muslim place of worship. The
Pope was seen after having removed his shoes, paused for a full two minutes, eyes
closed in silent meditation, standing side by side with the Mufti of Istanbul, Mustafa
Çagrici and the Imam of the Blue Mosque,Emrullah Hatipoglu.

The pope “thanked divine
Providence for this” and said, “May all believers identify themselves with the
one God and bear witness to true brotherhood.” The pontiff noted that Turkey
“will be a bridge of friendship and collaboration between East and West”, and
he thanked the Turkish people “for the cordiality and sympathy” they showed him
throughout his stay, saying, “he felt love and understood.”

After all, we, the
Jewish, the Christians and the Muslims are people of the same inheritance Holy
Book. Reunite people, say yes to Peace and no to War.